


1942-After Pappy's funeral

by Marcus_Gantry



Series: Photographic Memories [4]
Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:27:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26982865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marcus_Gantry/pseuds/Marcus_Gantry
Summary: The Spine tries to make sense of Rabbit's cryptic grief
Relationships: The Spine & Rabbit (Steam Powered Giraffe)
Series: Photographic Memories [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1966084
Kudos: 13





	1942-After Pappy's funeral

After the funeral, the robots wandered off in separate directions, each wanting to be alone with their thoughts. The Jon was last seen out on the back lawns chasing butterflies. Both The Spine and Rabbit headed out into the gardens, but by different paths. Rabbit first made a stop at the kitchen to get some scraps of bread from Cook. She saved them for feeding to the ducks down at the pond.

The Spine headed to his favorite place, the small marble gazebo out in the formal garden. He often went there when he wanted to think. Right now he didn’t want to think. He wanted to forget. Father was the second great loss of his life and it had suddenly hit him, very hard, that, being what he was, he was bound to outlive all of his human companions, those he knew now and any new ones he might meet in the future. He understood now why he was aloof toward his new caretaker. The young woman was always nice to him, attentive and very skilled at her tasks pertaining to his general upkeep, but there was no rapport there and she now knew that he just wanted to be on his own and she let him be. He admonished himself for not being nicer to her, and promised to do better in the future. 

He sat on the stone bench and listened to the water splashing in the fountain nearby. The breeze picked up, the leaves of the trees creating dancing patterns on the marble tile. He closed his eyes tight and shook his head, his hands balling into fists as a single sob came from his chest. He wiped the tears from his eyes angrily as he got up and stalked off down the pathway away from this place of memories. 

He didn’t consciously head toward the ponds. It wasn’t until he heard a quiet sobbing that he realized he was rounding the duck pond Rabbit often visited. The Spine was torn. He didn’t want to intrude on Rabbit’s space, but the sobbing was so soul-wrenching he couldn’t ignore it.

“Rabbit? May I…may I sit with you?” 

Rabbit didn’t look up but nodded assent, moving the bag of breadcrumbs to make room.  
“There are no ducks here today. Seems all too fitting.”

“Why do you say that Rabbit?”

“The world is conspiring against me.” The sobs started again. “Why did Pappy have to die? Why now?” Rabbit was leaning forward, face resting on half-gloved hands. 

The Spine put a comforting hand on Rabbit’s shoulder. “All humans have to die, it seems. Eventually.” He was feeling his own dark depression returning but set it aside as best he could for Rabbit’s sake. He let his focus wander, his gaze falling to Rabbit’s hands, noticing for the first time the tips of the fingers were painted black, like fingernails. Nail polish?

“But why now?” Rabbit wailed, tears dripping to the ground. “Why not next week! Why not next year!”

“I don’t know, Rabbit. I don’t think they have a say in the matter.”

“But….but he was going to finish me! He promised! He promised one day…. one day………..Ooohhhhhhhh………Pappy! Why did you have to _DIE???_ ” The sobbing started anew.

The Spine put his arm across Rabbit’s shoulders and hugged tightly. “Rabbit, you’re fine. If there’s something that needs repair I’m sure one of the twins…”

“No!” howled Rabbit. “No, they don’t understand. They’ll never understand. “

“Rabbit, I don’t understand either…”

Rabbit’s tearful eyes turned to look at him. Those eyes frightened him. There was the feral look of a trapped animal there, a pleading, haunted look that hurt him to his very core. Rabbit seemed on the verge of saying something more, but fear seemed to be stopping the words from coming. The Spine could see great pain in those eyes. He had seen it before, fleetingly, but this was far more raw, a far more bared naked pain. 

“Rabbit I want to help…”

Rabbit looked away slowly. “You can’t,” and went back to facing the ground, weeping quietly.

The Spine repeated the hug, but this time Rabbit shrugged off his embrace. 

“Please, I just want to be alone for a while.”

Rebuffed, the Spine rose and put a gentle hand on Rabbit’s shoulder. “I just want you to know, I'm here…” and sadly turned down the way he had come. Rabbit’s sobs receded in the distance.

Returning to the manor, The Spine went to his room. Lying on his bed, he studied the pattern in the tin ceiling as he often did when he was confused. The orderliness of the pattern was soothing to his processors. Once settled, he thought about what Rabbit had said, trying to read between the lines, but there just wasn’t enough there to go on. Was something wrong? Something that needed to be repaired? Should he go to one of the twins and have them check? But Rabbit had said no. He felt helpless, and frankly a little frightened. The thought had entered his mind that he might lose Rabbit too. And that would be absolutely unbearable. That thought made his own tears start again.

There was a knock at the door. Sitting up he said, “Come in.”  
It was Rabbit, also with a tear streaked face but no longer looking quite so fearful.

“Spine, I want to apologize for earlier. I shouldn’t have sent you away like that.”

“No, it’s ok,” he wiped his eyes. “You needed your space. We all did today. I shouldn’t have intruded”

“I wanted to thank you for being there.”

“I’m always here, Rabbit. Anytime.”

“I know. I appreciate that. Maybe someday…. Someday….” With a sad smile Rabbit turned and left the room.

The Spine whispered, “ I’ll always be here.”


End file.
